GSoC 3
QARTOD is going to Canada.
Later this month, I’ll be attending my first ever Ocean Hack Week. It’s about a week of programming-focused scientists meeting at some location, picking projects, and then teaming up to knock them out with an oral presentation sprinkled in here and there. I attended something similar to this in 2018, called the CableArray Hack Week for the OOI Regional Cabled Aray, but I’ve never attended an OHW myself. To be fair, I didn’t really know what I was doing at the CAHW, either.
My goal is to get the required and strongly recommended QARTOD tests done by then. This would demonstrate that everything that is more than a mere suggestion is implemented, and it’s a good opportunity for feedback. There’s only so much you can do on a Slack forum or GitHub repo to get community engagement. When you’re locked in a room with other qualified individuals, it’s much more likely you’ll hear back on some of it.
That being said, this is only possible because of a GSoC extension. Considering how much networking I’ve been doing, my mentors and I decided to extend from August to November to work on GSoC. This provides additional time to complete the rest of the tests with potential to share along the rest of the way.
| Stage | Stage specifications | Time required | Start-End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learn about the community and note shortcomings or additional toolboxes, such that the wheel need not be reinvented. | 3 weeks | May 1 - May 24 |
| 2 | Begin test assessments and complete Group 1 “required” tests. | 9 weeks | May 25 - July 26 |
| 3 | Complete Group 2 “Strongly Recommended” tests. | 4 weeks | July 27 - Aug 23 |
| 4 | Complete Group 3 “Suggested” tests. | 4 weeks | Aug 24 - Sept 20 |
| 5 | Explore other tests and finalize documentation. | 6 weeks | Sept 21 - Nov 2 |
Of course, I’m already behind. It’s August and there are still… 3 or 4 tests left to go in the “required” Group 1 tests. But the important thing is that a lot of learning has been going on. I’ve got a better understanding of how the repository works.
And we’re having fun, which should count for something!